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March 30, 2001
Welcome to Opening Day. There was a parade down Marine Parade in Napier, a midday concert in Aotea Square, Auckland, school was cancelled in Sydney, and a ceremonial first pitch was thrown off the end of the St Kilda Pier by a man dressed as a giant seagull.

Russell Crowe broke time and space (just a little bit though) to perform the national anthems of both Australia and New Zealand—before each and every game. Some of the highlights of the day include:

Fitzpatrick vs Fitzroy
Hawthorn's Seth Fitzpatrick pitched a complete-game shutout against the Fitzroy Bohemians. He allowed just two hits and one walk, striking out seven. On the other side of the ledger, the Hawthorn hitters tallied 12 hits, but it was two singles from RF Daniel Doyle that drove in the only runs.
Hawthorn 2, Fitzroy 0.

Vikings win in 12
We needed 12 frames to decide the winner of Wellington Bees @ Manawatu Vikings. Manawatu catcher Cole Arrowsmith hit two home runs, but it was the second -- a three-run shot in the bottom of the 8th -- that tied the game. No one made a full trip around the bases again until Manawatu 3B Edward Puck hit a double to score LF Jase Berriman. That’s the first walk-off hit in Russell Crowe Baseball Association history!
Manawatu 6, Wellington 5.

Oh? Maybe don’t load the bases when you’re up by one
Newtown closer Isaac Wahl took the mound with a 3–2 lead in the top of the 9th against the Newcastle Steelers. He gave up two quick singles, struck out the next hitter, walked the following one to load the bases… and then gave up a bases-clearing triple to 2B Bartie Elder in his first at-bat of the game. The Steelers sent out their closer in the bottom of the 9th, who dismissed the side without issue.
Newcastle 5, Newtown 3.

Dolphins survive after sleepy Spiders wake up
Dolphins CF Antonio Lockhart hit the first home run in Russell Crowe Baseball Association history in the 7th, extending the lead to 7–1 over the Waitakere Spiders. But the bottom of the 8th went a bit pear-shaped for Northland as they cycled through three pitchers and gave up five runs to bring it within one. The Dolphins held on to win.
Northland 7, Waitakere 6.

Jerry Bent delivers 8 shutout innings for the Crowes
It may not have been a pristine night for Jerry Bent—he gave up six hits and three walks—but not a single Seagull managed to capitalise. The Crowes cruised to a tidy win.
Adelaide 4, St Kilda 0.

Two home runs from CF Dylan Fleming get the Suns the win
A pair of two-out bombs from CF Dylan Fleming helped seal a 5–4 victory for the Tasman Suns over the Hawkes Bay Moonshots. PH Jonathan Bowers brought the Moonshots within one with a two-run shot in the bottom of the 9th, but it proved too little, too late.
Tasman 5, Hawkes Bay 4.

Magner impressive against Breakers
Rebels starter Greg Magner pitched 8 2/3 shutout innings before giving up a solo homer to Manly pinch hitter Tyrone Crosby. Rattled, he allowed a single and a double before being pulled for closer Bengie Nakagawa, who promptly recorded the final out to secure the win.
Parramatta 4, Manly 1.

Meanwhile...
Counties Manukau 5, Auckland 3
Canterbury 6, Otago 2
Waikato 4, Bay of Plenty 3
Geelong 4, Preston 3
Canberra 6, Penrith 2